Adam Green - Jacket Full Of Danger

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By Chad Grischow

To call New York singer/songwriter Adam Green unpredictable and unique would not quite prepare you for the oddly compelling blend of lounge act pop, folk, and rock found on his fourth solo album. Green commands attention with his impressive deep-sea vocals; then the lyrics grab, shake, smack, and fondle you. With a soothing baritone like Green's, you might expect him to take up residence in Las Vegas as the next great lounge crooner. However, his sense of humor and stream of consciousness ramblings prevent Green from being just another pop artist.

Topics range from drugs to prostitution to embarrassment associated with dating a hairy woman, all while oddball lyrics float against a backdrop of easygoing nostalgic music. Various combinations of strings, acoustic guitar, and stand up bass give the music on the album an old time flavor, with no attempt to update the lounge, folk, or rock n roll tones; sounding as though the music could have been recorded long before the twenty-four year-old Green was born. The decision to set his lyrics against such classic sounds is clever, making the album incredibly listenable.

The deadpan delivery of lines, like "Shake another baby, tell another lie / When you was gone, I balled a passer by", make the easygoing "Pay The Toll" a perfectly startling introduction. Green contemplates just how many drugs he has to take to get his ex off his mind, wrapping up the dangerous question in a tight two-minute pop strummer. Often, Green's lyrics fail to make much sense, as on the dangerously stabbing "Novotel" where he rambles, "Smoke crack like Isaac Asimov / Foe black delayed reaction of / Sure enough, she's snuggling up to me / I've got to feed them facts". Later, Green name-drops John Leguizamo on the Buddy Holly inspired "Nat King Cole", for the sake of making a rhyme work. Inane, but it does keep listeners on their toes.

A good portion is more serious, with songs like the honky-tonk "Jolly Good" and southwestern "Hollywood Bowl" proving to be less humorous, and ultimately less fun. The only song featuring an electric guitar, the bluesy "White Women" has a sexy slither to it. When the first words uttered are "You know I want to bone you", you have a good idea of where the song is going; and Green playfully takes it there. The eerie "Drugs" is a haunting two-minute love song, with lyrics like, "I like drugs / I like to linger in the alleyway / I like drugs / I like to hold them for a friend" beckoning listeners down a dark alley.

Sadly, Jacket Full Of Danger is too silly to take seriously and not funny enough to consider it a comedic effort; compelling and hard to turn off, but is not something you will be seeking out for repeated listens. You never know quite what Green has up his sleeve next, but this uneven album is interesting enough to keep your ear pointed in his direction.